


Siren's Song

by seekingslender



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M, mermaid dirk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-07 13:47:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4265472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekingslender/pseuds/seekingslender
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jake is a young sailor heading out to sea for the first time. The trip seems to be going smoothly until the Captain loses track of the ship they were following. A storm breaks out and the whole crew is lured by sirens to their deaths. Jake is the only one to survive the shipwreck, but who saved him? A sort of Mermaid/Siren AU ^^</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shipwreck

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! So, here's the first chapter. Nothing dirkjakey happens in this chapter. It's more of an introductory chapter to get things going in the story. But don't worry! Dirk will be in the next chapter! Hope you all enjoy the first chapter and let me know what you think! :D

It seemed to stretch on forever. It was as if the land had completely disappeared and left reality, leaving only the vast terranes of the ocean. Cool waves lapped at the great ship's hull, spraying salt filled water into the air. The water droplets sparkled in the bright sunlight. The young sailor tentatively reached a finger out to touch the shining droplets. He giggled a bit as he felt the cold water hit his tanned finger. He brought it up to his mouth, wondering if the ocean really was as salty as people said.  
"Ack! It is!" he shouted while trying to spit out the salty water.  
Suddenly, he heard a sharp voice behind him. "Oy! English! Don't just sit around staring at the bloody ocean all day! Get back to work!"  
The young sailor yelped as he was harshly grabbed by the ear and practically tossed back onto the deck. While nearly colliding with his mop and bucket, he let out many apologies. "I'm so terribly sorry! I swear it won't happen again!"  
"It better not! You should be doing what you're told and swabbing the deck. I better not catch you slacking off again!"  
The older sailor continued to berate the younger sailor until he heard the familiar footfalls of the Captain.  
"Alright, Smith stop badgering the poor boy. You have your own job to do."  
Smith reluctantly obeyed and stalked off to the masts of the ship mumbling "yes, captain."  
"Enjoying the scenery again, Jake? Better not do that too often if you want to keep Smith from nearly beating you to death."  
The Captain gave him a smile and a wink.  
"Y-yes sir!" Jake gave a shaky salute. "I just can't help it sometimes. This is my first time seeing the ocean , and I can hardly believe how vast it is."  
The Captain put a hand on the shorter boy's shoulder. "You know, we humans know very little about the ocean. There are some who say beasts such as mermaids and sirens lie out here."  
"I've heard a few stories, but I mean, those things can't be real, right? They're just stories after all...right?"  
"Well, I can't say for sure. I've been out on the seas for many years, but even I haven't explored all of it." The Captain began to walk off. "Better keep working for the rest of the day, Mr. English."  
"Oh, of course!" Jake managed to blurt out. The Captain's words kept him wondering and pondering all day on mysterious creatures of the sea.  
Before he knew it, the deck was swabbed, and the sun was slowly sinking into the horizon, making the sky turn shades of pink and purple. Jake followed the crowd under the deck into the mess hall. As usual, he kept mostly to himself. Most of the other sailors were way older than him, and he found it difficult to find common ground with them besides the Captain who had conversed with him today. He took a seat at the end of a table trying to fight back the urge to instantly engulf his food once it arrived. After about ten minutes, the cooks finally sent the food out. Jake tentatively poked at it with his fork. It looked to be beef in a gravy with biscuits. He saw that the sailor next to him was already scarfing down his dish.  
"So...um, is the food good?" Jake tried to project his voice as much as possible, having to compete with the echoing noises of the mess hall.  
With food still in his mouth, the sailor answered, "Oh, of course! We have some of the best cooks on board. And I'll gladly eat yours for ya, little pup!"  
"Oh, no no! I'm definitely going to eat mine, thank you." Jake laughed nervously, averting the older man's gaze.  
He slowly began eating his beef and biscuits. He supposed they probably served the meat more likely to spoil first. After finishing the main dish and moving onto the biscuits, Jake heard a familiar booming voice echo through the mess hall.  
"Lads, I have news that you'll want to hear!"  
Suddenly, the mess hall went completely silent. Even the hungriest of sailors had stopped eating and listened intently. The Captain went to the front of the room with a concerned look on his face.  
"I'm afraid to say that The Elizabeth, the ship that left before us to the same destination, has disappeared. We were supposed to keep a close enough distance where I could spot them with my telescope, but alas I can't find them anywhere, not even a speck. I fear something may have happened to lead them off course while I wasn't keeping an eye on them." Jake could tell just from the look on the Captain's face that he feared for the other ship.  
"Don't worry, Captain. We'll keep an eye out for them tonight. It shouldn't be too hard to find them if they've gone off course." His first mate tried to reassure him.  
"I do hope you're right. They say this is a strange spot of the sea we're going through. I just hope we'll get through it alright."  
With these words, the Captain quickly left, heading back to his quarters. Many didn't stick around the mess hall for very long after.  
"I wonder what could've happened to The Elizabeth...Do you think our ship will get lost too?" These kinds of questions floated through the air in different conversations.  
Being exhausted from the day's work, Jake promptly headed over to his bunk. Trying to keep the worried thoughts away, he managed to drift off to sleep.  
(Dream sequence) I was alone in a darkness I had never known before. As I began to move, I felt myself floating. The darkness had changed to water. I was suspended underwater. A bright light hit my face. Looking up, I could see the surface above me. Trying with all my might, I swam up towards it, but it was as if nothing happened. I tried again and again, but I was still in the same place as before. "How odd," I thought to myself. Suddenly, I felt myself running out of air. I began struggling and thrashing about, desperately trying to reach the surface. As I turned to the side, I saw something swimming towards me. Before darkness overtook my vision, I saw a flash of orange..almost like scales...  
Jake woke up, gasping for air.  
"Hey, English, you alright, mate?" The first mate walked up to him.  
"Oh, y-yes! Don't worry, just had a nightmare of sorts!"  
The first mate nodded, "Well, anyway, it's good you're up. The Captain could use some extra help. Hurry up to the deck."  
Jake quickly got himself up, put his glasses on, and followed the first mate up to the deck of the ship. They instantly spotted the Captain in the darkness of the night by the lanterns accompanied by three other crewmen by the railing of the ship.  
"I have another pair of hands for you, Captain." The first mate informed.  
The Captain smiled, but Jake could see the worry and stress in his eyes.  
"Ah, Jake! Good of you to come. We're trying to haul an object the watchman spotted floating by the side of the ship. Here, take this rope and help us pull."  
Jake did as he was told and helped pull the heavy object up with only the light of a few lanterns to help them see. The object was quite heavy. By the time they could see it, it felt to Jake as if both his arms had fire surging through them.  
"Alright men, hold it there!"  
Jake's arms were shaking, trying desperately to hold the weight. He watched the Captain as he held the lantern up to the object.  
"This...this can't be!"  
Jake and the crewmen looked up and couldn't believe their eyes. In front of them was a piece of a ship's hull. It was as if it had been forcibly torn from the ship.  
"Is that..from The Elizabeth?" one of the crewmen asked.  
"I can't say for sure. Let's wait until morning...see if we find more wreckage. Boys, lower it back into the water and go back to bed. I'll sort this out in the morning."  
Without another word, the Captain staggered to his quarters, a look of shock stuck on his face. After releasing the piece of hull back into the water, Jake waited a bit before going back to his bunk. He stared off into the darkness as if he was in a trance. When he went back to his bunk, he lay awake wondering about the events that had transpired and his strange dream until morning.  
Once morning came, the Captain had all of the crew gather at the front of the ship. As soon as Jake walked up to the deck, he felt as though the very air was different. Violent gusts of wind nearly knocked him off his feet. Gazing up, the sky was covered by dark clouds. The ship pitched and rocked violently as huge waves began to form. The faces of the others were filled with concern and worry. All chatter ceased as the Captain cleared his throat.  
"It pains me to say that I think we may have lost The Elizabeth. We found a piece of her hull last night floating in the water. And now, it seems we may face a similar fate. This storm just came up on us unexpectedly. And even now, I sometimes hear...faint singing."  
The crewmen looked around at each other, frightened looks on all of their faces.  
Jake, even with his knees shaking, spoke, "Ummm, Captain? What do you mean by singing?"  
The Captain gave Jake a dangerous look. "There's a small isle not too far from us. That's where some of the Sirens were...on the lookout. They went for The Elizabeth..and now they're after us. God help us all."  
The Captain resumed to looking out into the distance as the sky darkened, and the winds worsened. The crew just stood there, everyone unsure of what to do or where to go. The ship moved with the waves in a rocking motion. That's when Jake began to hear it: the singing. It was a strange, melancholy melody that seemed to be coming from the ocean itself. The notes reverberated through the air, surrounding Jake and the frightened sailors.  
"I'm afraid this is the end for us, boys. Save yourselves if you can."  
After saying this, the Captain dove straight into the ocean, looking as though he was being dragged down into the deep by something... or someone. Many of the crew looked down into the water, desperately searching for any sign of the Captain; however, instead they saw women appearing out of the water singing. The haunting melody now hung in the air like hands about to grab them. Jake lay huddled, hanging onto a mast, closing his eyes, and desperately trying to keep the song out of his head. Opening his eyes at the sound of splashing, he saw the other sailors jumping into the sea as if they were hypnotized.  
He shouted desperately, "Come one, mates! Pull yourselves together! Don't fall for their song!"  
But his desperate shouts were muffled by the strong waves and the song. Jake carefully crawled over to the railing only to see women with fish-like tails caressing the faces of the sailors before cruelly pulling them under. They were strangely beautiful, but Jake continued to keep a strong grip on the railing and forced himself to look away. There weren't any screams, just the sound of bodies hitting the water, laughter, and ominous singing. When the last crew member went under, curious voices could be heard from the water.  
"Is that all of them?"  
"I believe there's one boy left, but I think he's too scared to jump down here. He's been clinging to the ship ever since we started singing."  
They laughed cruelly.  
"Well then, let's just knock him off."  
Not long after, huge waves crashed against the ship, nearly knocking it over. At the third crash, Jake couldn't hold on any longer. He was knocked into the dark water, letting himself sink deeper and deeper. Opening his eyes, he saw the surface getting smaller and smaller.  
"Hey, this is almost like my dream..." he thought. Before darkness took over his vision, he saw something swimming towards him with the same flash of orange as the figure in his dream.


	2. What We Thought Were Myths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! I actually got this chapter done really fast! I basically spent most of my fourth of July writing this chapter, so I hope you guys enjoy it! ^^

Pulsating pain woke Jake up along with a cold feeling on his legs. Opening his eyes, the bright world around him was blurry at first. He also heard a voice, faint at first but gradually increasing in volume. After a bit, he could make out words.   
"Hey, can you hear me? Can you see and hear me alright?"   
He strained his green eyes over to the source of the voice and saw a young man with light blonde, spiky hair learning over the rocky ledge with his bottom half in the water. Concern filled his orange colored eyes. He had a strange orange tint to his skin. He looked relieved when Jake made eye contact with him.   
"Oh, good! I'm glad you're finally awake."   
Jake managed to prop himself up on his shaky arms, the harsh sunshine glinting through his ebony hair.   
"Well, I suppose I have to thank you for saving me. I probably would've drowned if you hadn't have come. Oh! Where are my manners? Um, my name is Jake English, but you can just call me Jake. So, what is your name?" Jake could feel himself blushing, looking away toward the ground.   
The orange eyed man chuckled quietly. "My name's Dirk..sorry but if I had a last name, I can't remember it for the life of me. And it's a pleasure to meet you, Jake. Say, that's a strange accent you have. Where are you from?" Dirk raised himself a bit closer to Jake.   
"Oh, well, um, I'm from Britania. If I may ask, where exactly are we?" Jake asked, a bit flustered.   
"This is part of the shoreline of Meditas. The town up on the cliffs nearby is Verci. You're pretty far from Britania unfortunately, but it explains the accent. I should warn you that the locals might comment on your accent a lot. They're not used to very many people with foreign accents like that I'm afraid." He began to sink back into the water. "If you follow this rocky tunnel out to the beach, you should be able to see the town from there. The people there are mainly fisherman families, and they're rather friendly..well sort of. They should be able to help you out."   
"Well, wait. Aren't you coming with me?" Jake asked as he got to his feet.   
"Sorry, but I'm afraid that's not possible for me," at this, Dirk brought his whole body onto the rock ledge, revealing a long fish-like tail like the women sirens had with shimmering orange scales dotted with a few black scales. Jake spotted what looked like large gills on his sides.   
"D-dirk...wh-what??" Jake nearly fell over.   
Dirk looked down, almost in shame, "As you can see, I'm a Siren of sorts. I can't exactly leave the ocean and go with you on land."   
The orange scaled Siren suddenly gazed off towards the sea.   
"I'm sorry, but I have to go. I can hear a boat approaching. Remember, go left through this rock tunnel, and you'll see the town from the beach. Goodbye and good luck!"   
Dirk dove into the sparkling water, coming up only once to look back at Jake.   
"Wait! Will I see you again?" the spectacled young sailor yelled.   
The Siren shouted back, "I'll be around this area tomorrow. If you're so inclined, just wait on this rocky ledge. I'll find you."   
Dirk gave a final wave with his tail before diving under for good. Jake waved until he couldn't see Dirk beneath the water anymore.   
"Alright, turn left through the runnel and onto the beach. Shouldn't be too difficult," Jake thought to himself.   
Before entering the tunnel, a small fishing boat went by.   
"Hey, boy!" One of the men on board shouted. "Have you seen any strange creatures around here? I caught wind that a Siren might be around these parts."   
"Oh, um, no! Only water and rocks, sir!" Jake reluctantly shouted back.   
The fishermen stared at him strangely. "You sound foreign. Better watch out. Sirens around these parts love foreign boys!"  
"Oh, of course! I will!" Jake said before sprinting into the tunnel of maroon rock. Once he was a little ways in, he stopped and tried to catch his breath. The maroon colored rock was a rough texture against Jake's palm. Walking through the tunnel, he could see various kinds of crystals embedded within the rock walls. Finally, Jake could see bright light glimmering at the end of the tunnel. His feet hit the sand as he exited the tunnel. He could feel the sugary sand as his boots began to sink into it. As he stepped out to the beach, he couldn't believe his eyes. The ocean by the shore shone in colors of indigo that ranged from light to dark. The sand was almost pure white with cliffs that hung over creating creeping shadows that made some nice shade from the sun of the same maroon rock that made the rocky outcrops where he had met Dirk. His eyes shifted towards the top of the cliffs and saw a few small houses on the horizon.   
"There's the town," Jake thought as he scanned the cliffs for a stairway of some sort. As he wandered along the steep cliffs for a while, he finally found a stair way carved right into the vertical cliff face that wound its way up.   
After what seemed like endless excruciating steps, Jake finally made it to the top.   
"Yipes! I'm rather far up," he gasped as he peered out over the ledge to the beach below. Backing away from the ledge, he wandered into town. It was a decently sized town with a small citadel in the center. The markets radiated out from it followed by houses. As soon as Jake made it to the market area, the pungent smell of fish hit his nose.   
"Ack!" He accidentally shouted. People walking by stared and gave him weird looks. "Oh, sorry about that," he apologized before quickly walking away.   
He brought himself to the nearest bench and sighed as he sat down. He could feel his nervous tick starting to act up as he felt himself shaking.   
"Hey, mister! Are you alright?" A young girl stood over him. Her eyes shone a bright green and her skin a nutmeg shade, hair a light blonde.   
Jake cleared his throat, "Oh, yes, I am! I'm just new in town is all. Oh, speaking of which, could you point me to the nearest inn?"   
"There's one a bit down the street to the right called the Cherub. And forgive me, but your accent is quite strange. May I ask where you're from?" The girl gracefully sat next to him.   
"Well, I'm from Britania. It's pretty far away from here. I was a sailor on a ship heading through here, but it ended up getting shipwrecked and...I guess I managed to swim to shore." He made sure to leave out the Siren parts.   
"I see...hmm funny clothing for a sailor to be wearing: leather boots, a military jacket, black undershirt, and such short trousers."   
"Well, I wasn't really into the usual sailor get up. I suppose I'm more of an adventurer of sorts. And my cheeky trousers allow for better leg movement I'll have you know," Jake informed with a smirk.   
The young girl giggled, "I see! Well, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Adventurer. I welcome you to the town of Verci!"   
She stood up suddenly, curcied, and ran off.   
"Oh, wait! I haven't told you my name yet!" But it was too late. She was already out of sight.   
"Bullocks," Jake whispered under his breath. "Well, I'd better see if I can find the inn she was talking about."   
He received many curious stares as he made his way down the street. A few smiled but most had a sort of scowl. At last, he found the Cherub to his right. It was a quaint inn about three stories high. The walls looked to be made of the familiar dark rock painted a bluish color with what looked to be tiny fossils mixed in.   
"How curious," the sailor thought to himself.   
He adjusted his dark green military jacket before going inside. The interior was decorated with some charming sea side decor with a front desk at the far side of the room. He tentatively made his way over where a young woman with short, wispy dark green hair was waiting.   
"Hello there! Welcome to the Cherub Inn! What brings you into Verci?" She greeted him warmly.   
"Hello! I'm just trying to make my way back home. So, just passing through, I suppose." He smiled warmly at her.   
"Oh, my, I don't believe I've heard an accent like that around here, at least not often. But don't you worry! I can understand you just fine. So, what can I do for you?"   
Jake gulped, knowing he didn't have any money to pay for a room. "Well, I would like to stay here for a bit, but I'm afraid I don't have any means to pay you for a room. Is there, by any chance, a way to earn my keep for a room?" Jake nervously said, trying his best not to make his voice crack.   
At first, the woman gave him a weird look but then smiled. "Well, I think we can work something out, cutie pie. Let me just talk with my brother a minute. He runs a fishing business, and I'm sure he could use a helper. I'll be right back!" She then made her way to the second floor. Jake rocked back and forth nervously, looking around at the decor. At last, he heard the familiar footsteps heading down the stairs, but he nearly yelped in surprise when he saw a tall man following behind her.   
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, but I didn't catch your name," she inquired.   
"Ah, sorry about that! I'm Jake English, good lady! Pleasure to meet you," he smiled and held out his hand.   
"Nice to meet you, Jake. I'm Calliope, and this is my older brother Caliborn," she said as she gently shook his hand.   
Caliborn approached the spectacled sailor with a bit of a scowl. "My sister and I have agreed that you'll have a room here, and you'll help me on my fishing boat in the morning on weekdays. That alright with you, boy?"   
"Oh, yes sir! I was a sailor on a ship for a while, so I have some experience with boats and things like it. Haha!" Jake laughed, trying to keep his calm composure.   
"Good. I'll see you tomorrow morning then," And that was that.   
"I'm going to prep the boat for tomorrow. Be back later...maybe." With that, Caliborn was out the door.   
Calliope just shook her head, "I apologize for my brother's rude attitude. I'm afraid that's just how he is." Her bright green eyes shifted towards Jake. l  
"Oh, it's not a problem! I'm used to dealing with rough and tough characters like him. So, um, would you mind showing me to my room, Miss Calliope? I'm quite exhausted."   
"Of course! Right this way," She led Jake up to the top floor to Room 301.   
"Here it is! And please let me know if you need anything," She bowed slightly and departed down the stairs.   
"What a strange pair of siblings," Jake thought as he plopped himself down on the bed. He wasn't quite sure how long it had been since he'd slept in an actual bed. Trying his best to push the fretting thoughts of what tomorrow would bring, he drifted off to sleep as evening set in.   
(Dream sequence) I could hear the soft melody of a music box playing but couldn't quite place where it was coming from. It was as if it was playing all around me. The scenery changed to an underwater scene with huge kelp forests nearby. The kelp towered like the trees I knew back in Britania. That's when I saw that familiar flash of orange. "Dirk," I thought as I began swimming towards him. We explored the kelp forests for a while. I held his hand, letting him pull me along since he was obviously the faster swimmer. I could feel a bit of webbing between his fingers and translucent fins attached to his ears, though I didn't seem to mind these features. Once we reached a small dune in the middle of the forest, we stopped. We now held both of each other's hands and faced each other. Dirk gazed at me with a handsome smile.   
"Well, Dirk, I had quite the fun time!" I tried to say without blushing from the Siren's stare.   
"Me too! Umm, I was wondering...if you wanted to hear my song," the orange Siren asked.   
"A song? Well, sure! I don't see why not," I smiled back at him.   
"Yeah, man! I am a Siren after all! Okay, here goes."   
Just as Dirk was about to sing, a loud, rather annoying voice broke through: "Hey, boy wake up!"   
Jake arose quickly from a deep sleep to find Caliborn leaning over him with his unnaturally red eyes.   
"Oh, finally you're awake. You're going to be my little helper today, so let's get going," without any warning, Caliborn grabbed Jake by his right arm and forcibly pulled him up, nearly knocking the sailor's green square shaped glasses off his face.   
"Alright, I'm up! Just stop pulling me already!"   
As they moved out of the inn, Jake waved at Calliope before he headed out the door. He followed Caliborn down the winding stone stairs to the sugar sand beach below. The sun was just peeking over the horizon creating a brilliant backdrop with the sky dotted by a few lone clouds. A little ways down the beach was a small port with the town's fishing boats. Jake continued to follow Caliborn to a medium sized boat called "JuJu." As he stepped onto the boat, something smacked right into his face. Peering down, he found a sandwich had fallen into his hands.   
"There's your breakfast," the dark haired man mumbled laughing a bit at the look on Jake's face.   
"Anyways, basically all I need or you to do is help me load up the boat with the fish that the net catches and let me know right away if you find anything *special in the net," Caliborn chuckled.   
"Umm, special?" Jake inquired.   
The taller man gave him a concerning smile, "Oh, I'm sure you've heard people talking about it. Apparently, there's been spottings of a siren around these parts. And I'm going to make doubly sure that I'll be the one to catch it. So, if you find anything special aka: a Siren in the net, then let me handle it, got it?"   
"Yes, Mr. Caliborn," Jake already wanted to leave and warn Dirk about this maniac.   
"Excellent! Then let's head out already and catch this fucker!"   
Jake spent hours hauling fish from the net to the boat. By the time they were back and hauled the fish to sell to the market, he could feel his muscles pulsating beneath his chestnut skin. Caliborn shooed him away, not wanting him to get in the way of his "making money." Jake gladly left, using what little energy he had left to run to the rocky outcrop by the ocean.


	3. A Secret Worth Keeping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is chapter 3! Enjoy!

Jake made it to the familiar rocky ledge in record time. He nearly fell to his death sprinting down the stone stairs and nearly falling on hi face in the darkness of the tunnel. He immediately plopped himself down, gasping for air by the ledge. He yanked off his boots just to dip his feet, which felt as if they had been roasting in an oven, in the refreshing sea water. Catching his breath, he kept an eye out for any movement underwater.  
"I'm sure he said to wait here...although he didn't really give me an exact time," Jake sighed, staring out at the horizon lazily. After about half an hour of waiting around, boredom began to overtake the dark haired boy's mind.  
"Well, Dirk has to be around this cove somewhere. I'll just go look for him myself," he thought as he began stripping himself of his clothes.  
Leaving them in a shadowy spot in the rock tunnel, he lowered himself into the refreshing sea water from the rock ledge. He felt the nice cool water wash over his skin as he submerged himself. It was a rather deep cove with the sandy bottom a few feet below where Jake was treading on the surface. He could spot a kelp forest a little ways down swaying with the gentle waves. Jake allowed his exhausted body to relax as he floated on his back, letting the gentle currents push him wherever. His pulsating muscles that were aching from the morning's work with Caliborn finally began to unwind. Jake had decided to keep his glasses on. His eyesight was horrible without them. After a while, he could feel the ends of a few stray kelp glide across his skin. He still wondered where Dirk was in the back of his mind, but he let the water and sunshine relax him. Then, out of nowhere, he felt two hands grab him, one holding onto his right shoulder, the other wrapped over his stomach, suddenly pulling him under a bit.  
"Ack, unhand me!" Jake managed to shout before receiving a mouthful of sea water.  
He began to panic as he felt the stray kelp wrap around his legs until he shifted his gaze down to see an alabaster toned arm around him. He heard light laughter as his head was lifted back out of the water. Dirk's face was right by his. He could feel his face turning hot as he felt the siren's arms holding him up.  
"Woah, there! It's just me. Sorry if I gave you a scare," Dirk laughed as Jake was still spitting out sea water.  
"D-dirk?!" Jake gasped as he began to calm down.  
He nearly screamed as he realized he was in the arms of a siren completely naked. "Wait! Let go of me! I'm not decent!" Jake squirmed out of Dirk's arms nearly sinking in the water again.  
"So what? It's not like I'm a human. I just have a fish tail."  
Dirk tried his best to get Jake to calm down, but the dark haired human kept backing up and covering himself with his hands while keeping his head above water.  
"Alright, calm down! Look, I have a pair of swimming shorts right here," the siren help up a pair of short black swimming shorts. Jake immediately grabbed them. "Where did you get these? I hardly think a siren would be in need of something like this," he was already slipping them on underwater.  
"The other sirens tend to hoard a shit ton of stuff at their cove. I dug through it and found those for ya. Since I can sense people when they're in the water when I'm nearby, I sensed you, saw you all 'indecent,' and thought you could use something to cover your human private parts," Dirk smirked at him as he gracefully swam around Jake in circles, emphasizing the word indecent with a grin. Jake finally managed to slip the shorts on and tighten the waist line to his. "Heh, thanks. I feel much more comfortable now."  
Dirk swam up close to him. "So, did you have anything planned for us to do? And geez, you look like you've been through hell."  
"Wait, how did you know? I mean, I do feel rather worn out, been through the ringer and all, but I didn't tell you," Jake inquired.  
The orange siren chuckled. "It's your aura. It feels worn out and a bit angry. It's a sort of siren thing."  
Dirk swam up in front of Jake. "Dirk?? What are you-"  
The siren had two fingers to the sailor's forehead. "Shh, I'm calming your aura with mine."  
Almost immediately, Jake felt a sudden calmness and relaxation radiate into his body from his forehead. His tense muscles began to unwind. Once he felt completely relaxed, he opened his eyes again.  
"Better?" Dirk moved away from him a bit.  
"Yeah..wow! All that bloody tension is gone...woah!" Jake had stopped kicking his legs and sank a bit.  
Dirk caught him by his arms and held him up. "Woah there, sailor. Gotta keep kicking those legs."  
Jake laughed while he steadied himself.  
"That was quite a bit of tension. What exactly were you doing this morning?" Dirk asked, looking right at Jake.  
"Hmph. Well, I had to help this obscene man named Caliborn. He had me haul netfuls of fish onto his boat to sell at the market. Since I don't have money, I have to do that as a way to pay for my room and board at the inn. However, his sister is lovely. She's so nice, the exact opposite of her brother."  
Dirk smiled, "Ah, Caliborn. I know that name all too well. He's the one who's been after my tail for a while now ever since he spotted me by the port."  
"Aren't you afraid he's going to catch you? Lord help you if he ever successfully captures you, Dirk. I mean, if he ever did, he'd have to engage in fisticuffs with me before he could take you away!" Jake said with a serious look on his face, the dark freckles practically popping off his face.  
"Bahaha! Ohh, Jake! I mean, I appreciate that, but what in the hell is fisticuffs?" Dirk nearly sank underwater from laughing, creating multiple ripples in the still water.  
"What? You don't know? Well, it's basically, you know, engaging in a duel or fight of sorts, to defend you of course!" Jake pouted.  
Dirk began to regain composure. "Ah, I see. How valiant of you, my knight. I apologize for laughing so hard. I"ve just never heard that word before. Phew, I'm learning so many new phrases from you, Britanian. Ah, alright, back to the original subject. So, what is it you wanna do?"  
Jake's eyes were immediately drawn to the kelp below and around them. "Well, this kelp forest here has been peeking my curiosity for a while now. I mean, you've most likely explored it before, but if you don't mind, I'd very much like to explore it with you," Jake said trying not to blush too much at the "with you" part.  
"Hmm, it is pretty dang awesome. Let's go..but first.." Dirk suddenly slid his hands up to Jake's face. "I'll need you to close your eyes for a bit."  
Jake went along with it, feeling Dirk's oddly warm fingers gently slide over his eyelids. Then, soft singing filled the air. It sounded a lot like the women siren, though a bit lower. He tried to listen for any words, but the singing was in a language he had never heard before. Dirk paused, now sliding his hands down to the sides of Jake's throat and resumed his song. He gently let go at the last note.  
Jake gazed at the siren in awe. "Blimey! Your singing is beautiful! But, what exactly did you do?"  
"Just a small spell that'll last as long as you're in the water. Now, your eyes will be able to see clearly underwater without the salt stinging them. Also, your glasses won't fly off your face, and you'll be able to breathe underwater. And thanks, man. I wouldn't be a siren if I couldn't sing a haunting melody or two." Dirk beamed at him. "Alright, now let's go!"  
Dirk gave the sailor no warning, dragging him down to the bottom of the cove. At first, Jake struggled at the sudden loss of air, kicking around and tugging for the surface.  
"It's okay. Just relax," Dirk's voice reverberated through the water.  
Jake tried his best to calm himself, opening his eyes and letting his body go limp. Taking a deep breath in, he let the water enter his throat.  
"Woah!!" a group of bubbles erupted from his mouth. "I-I can breath underwater! This is really happening!" Jake was ecstatic as he swam around the border of the kelp forest. Dirk gracefully swam next to him, watching the young human swim around laughing with bubbles streaming out of his mouth. Jake stopped, peering directly at Dirk. The siren's orange and black speckled tail was fully fanned out, allowing Dirk to stay upright in the water.  
Jake stared at him in awe. "Say, Dirk. I don't think I've ever seen you underwater before. I must say..you look quite beautiful," the sailor smiled, gazing up at the siren.  
It was hard to discern, but something like a blush flushed over Dirk's face in an orange hue. He quickly broke the silence. "Ah, well...thanks...you know, no one's ever told me I was beautiful before. I suppose people look at us sirens more like monsters but..yeah...thanks," he said with a smile.  
Swimming up to Dirk, Jake immediately held his hand. "Come on, we were going to explore this kelp forest. Better go while we still have daylight," the dark haired boy began tugging Dirk.  
"Alright, alright," the siren chuckled, pulling Jake along with one flick of his tail.  
"Yowza! You sure can swim fast with that tail of yours," Jake exclaimed.  
Dirk only chuckled, looking on ahead as they entered the forest. The kelp swayed lazily from the gentle current made by Dirk's tail. It felt soft as it brushed against Jake's cheeks. He reached his right arm out, feeling the kelp move past his hand. After a while, Jake could see that they were approaching a clearing of some sort. As they entered the clearing with a small sand dune overlooking the forest, Jake gasped, "Wait, this is like the scene in my dream..exactly."  
"Your dream?" Dirk asked as they stopped at the top of the underwater dune. A cloud of sand swooped up as the siren steadied himself with his tail.  
"Oh, yeah! I haven't told you yet. I recently had a dream with you in it. We were right smack dab in this exact location, and you were about to sing your siren song to me, but then that dreadful Caliborn woke me up. And here we are," Jake's words drifted of as he was right up next to Dirk. The sun was lower in the sky, now casting blazing orange rays down into the water. Dirk's scales glimmered and shone brilliantly. Their eyes met with a sort of tension between them.  
Jake immediately tore his eyes away, "Er, I apologize if it seems like I'm in your personal space, Dirk. I-"  
Dirk's lips cut Jake off mid sentence as the siren pulled him in in an embrace. At first, it had taken Jake by surprise, but in a few seconds, he had melted into Dirk's kiss, letting his hands rest on the blonde's shoulders. Even after their lips parted, they still lingered close to each other.  
"Well, that was quite unexpected, but.."  
"But?" Dirk teased with a widening grin.  
"But rather...nice," Jake giggled as they pulled their faces away.  
"Hmph. To be honest, I was half expecting you to push me away or punch or slap me for pulling a move like that," Dirk stated.  
Jake gave him a surprised glance, "Well, even though I haven't known you for too long, I feel like I'm drawn to you. I suppose part of me was hoping for a kiss like that."  
"Hey, not to suddenly change the subject, the kiss was wonderful, but that sun's getting pretty low in the sky. I should probably get you back to our meeting place before it's dark." The siren took Jake by the hand and both began to swim back over to the rocky outcrop. Jake couldn't stop smiling and giggling the whole way back.  
Dirk helped boost Jake up onto the ledge. "You sure it's okay that I keep these swimming trousers?" the sailor asked as he stripped and put his dry clothes back on.  
"Please, the other sirens have so much stuff. I don't think they'll care," Dirk smirked.  
Jake leaned down to the siren's level, "So, tomorrow? Same time, same place?"  
Dirk slid a webbed hand up from Jake's face to the back of his head, pulling him to his face. Their lips came together tenderly, molding into each other, pulling apart, and melding together again. Jake tasted the sea salt on Dirk's lips, letting the siren deepen the kiss a bit. When it was done, Jake rested his forehead against Dirk's.  
"See you tomorrow," he whispered. Dirk nodded, "Stay safe out there, English." He waved before plunging into the sunset hued water, his tail smacking against the surface before disappearing. Jake gazed back once more at the sea before making his way to the inn.


	4. Those We Lost and the Ones They Left Behind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, I finally finished chapter 4! Hope all of you enjoy it, and again, feedback is appreciated! ^^

Jake grumbled to himself as he made his way down to the docks for the usual fishing outing on Caliborn's boat. He was surprised to not find the menacing man onboard the JuJu. Instead, he found a young man who looked to be a few years younger than him. Jake tentatively walked up to the light blonde haired stranger.   
"Um, pardon me, but do you know where Caliborn is?" the dark toned sailor asked.   
The blonde turned towards Jake with piercing red eyes. Although they weren't like Caliborn's. His were more of a dull, deep red. The stranger's were vibrant and bright. He kind of reminded him of Dirk with his hair color and pale skin tone. He swept through his bangs with his hand before answering, "I'm afraid he won't be able to make it today. Something about having to do an errand a little ways outside of town or something along those lines. Oh, and I'm Dave Strider by the way."   
The blonde held out a hand. "Well, nice to meet you, Dave! I'm Jake English."   
"Pleased to meet you, Jake. I was actually waiting on you. Caliborn filled me in on your helping out. Though to tell you the truth, I'm glad he's gone today. It'll be a hell of a lot more peaceful, y'know?"   
"Oh, don't I know it," the sailor sighed.   
Dave and Jake began untying the boat and heading out to the calm waters ahead. The boat sailed smoothly across the glassy surface. Jake glanced at the cove as they passed it, thinking about Dirk and what he was up to.   
Once the nets were cast, and the JuJu safely anchored in place, both of them leaned against the railing and relaxed.   
"So, Jake. Judging by your accent, I'm guessing you're not from around here. If you don't mind my asking, where are you from and what brings you here?" Dave inquired.   
"I'm from Britannia. And, well that's quite the odd story if you want to hear it," Jake laughed nervously.   
"Well, we really have nothing but time, so go for it."   
"Alright, well, I was a new sailor on a merchant ship heading down this sea. We were following a ship in front of us, but one day we lost track of it, and that's when things began to get weird. I'm not sure if you'll believe me, but our ship was attacked by sirens. I saw them myself. They lured all of the crew into the sea. They wrecked the ship, causing me to fall into the water. That's when I blacked out, and I found myself on the shore by this town." Jake said, leaving the parts with Dirk out. He was suprised to see a shocked expression on Dave's face.   
"Did you really see sirens?!" the blonde moved closer to Jake , nearly grabbing the collar of his jacket.   
"Yes, I'm sure I did. Why?"   
"Well..." Dave exhaled, plopping himself down on the railing again. "You see, I'm not from this area either. I'm from a distant land, and my brother and I were adventurers of sorts. We decided to explore this sea we're on a few years ago. We bought a decently sized ship and sailed off for adventure. However, we were going past this very town way off at sea. It was attacked by sirens. Like you, I saw them myself. My brother..he..he sacrificed himself to save me. He jumped right into the water to draw the sirens away. He never..he never came back up tot he surface. I tried my best to keep calm and navigated the ship to shore. I haven't seen my brother since, but I guess somewhere deep inside I still believe he's out there. But who knows," Dave managed to keep his composure.   
"Gee, I'm terribly sorry that happened. If I may ask, what was your brother's name?" Something about the story was bothering Jake.   
"It was Dirk Strider," Dave answered.   
"What??" Jake managed to stifle it into a hushed inaudible whisper.   
Dave looked at him with a concerned expression, "Is something wrong, Jake?"   
"Oh no..it's nothing. I really hope you can find out what happened to him." Jake tried to reassure him as best he could.   
The red eyed boy shrugged and continued to converse in small talk with Jake. After a while, they hauled up the nets and loaded the fish, moving to a few different fishing spots. On the way back to the harbor, Jake sat at the bow, while Dave maneuvered the fully loaded boat. Jake couldn't stop thinking about Dirk and if he could be this Dirk Strider. While they hauled the fish to the market, the sailor asked the blonde, "So, your brother...what does he look like? You know, in case I happen to see him around here since you're looking for him."   
"He has orange colored eyes about as piercing as my red ones. Same light blonde hair as me but more spiked up. And same pale skin too. And thanks..for caring about this, Jake. Most people would tell me to just accept that he's dead, you know? So...yeah." Dave tore his gaze away, looking down at the ground but still smiling.   
Jake tried to keep his voice calm, "Oh, not a problem, mate! I'll definitely let you know if I find out anything about him," The dark haired boy assured.   
Once they sold the load of fish, Dave and Jake exchanged goodbyes. "Will you be working with me tomorrow, then?" Jake shouted as Dave walked down the road. "Yeah, for sure! I'll be there! Have a rad day, Jake," The blonde waved before continuing down the road.   
Before making his way to the inn, Jake decided to peruse a dessert shop that caught his eye.   
"I wonder if sirens like desserts," he thought, trying to push the worrying thoughts from Dave's story and missing brother out of his head. "I mean, siren Dirk's appearance matches Dave's description of his brother almost completely...I'll just have to ask Dirk about it when I meet him at the cove." Jake hurried along, purchasing two cupcakes decorated with candy sea shells with some of the money from selling the fish. He then sprinted to the inn, changing his clothes, which reeked of fish, as soon as he arrived in his room. Making sure to plop his fish scented clothes into the laundry chute, he put on the black swimming shorts and a plain white t-shirt. As soon as he had done that, he was out the door, waving to Calliope as he power walked through the quaint lobby. Once outside, he made a beeline for the cove.   
Dirk swayed his tail up and down as he navigated his way through the underwater cave beneath the town Verci. A few of the other sirens swam past him, most avoiding eye contact. The cave was dim, save for the bio luminescent algae that clung to the stone walls, giving the interior an eerie glow. Coming up on the main siren treasure trove at the back of the cave, Dirk entered the cathedral sized room. A few other sirens swam around, dropping off any treasure they picked up from nearby ships. Most gave him angry stares. They had been since the day he rescued Jake from their clutches. They had thought he would do what any siren would do and suck the young sailor's soul out or surrender him to another siren, and now they stared at him with resent. As he deposited a few gold coins he found at the sea's bottom he spotted a sirens with a bright pink tail swimming up to him with a huge smile. Dirk smiled back, recognizing the only siren that actually talked to him. "Hey, Roxy!" Dirk swam over to her.   
"Heeey, Dirk! Haven't seen you around the treasure trove lately. Say, all I've seen you going to lately is that little cove by the town. What cha been up to over there?" Roxy asked, winking at the orange siren.   
"Oh, you know, just hanging around, exploring the kelp forests in there. I don't like luring sailors and seamen like all the others do. I mean, you're basically the only one that'll talk to me. I'm better off just hanging around elsewhere than going on group outings with the others," Dirk said while lazily swimming around the caves with Roxy.   
"Oh, Dirk. You always have been the odd siren out, ever since I rescued you, found you floating in the sea close to shore, and being a male siren too." she took his hand in hers, stroking it gently. "Listen, no matter what any of the others say, you'll always belong here. Speaking of which, we're gonna have a party in here tonight if you wanna come. And there's gonna be some alcohol," Roxy winked.   
"More of that human alcohol stuff, huh? Well, I'll think about it." Dirk reassured.   
Roxy spun around laughing, "Well, you should totally come! Oh, I promised a few of the others I would go out to sea today to keep a look out for any ships, see ya, Dirk!"   
With that, she was off, leaving behind a trail of bubbles. Dirk sighed, laughing to himself. No matter what, he could always count on Roxy to cheer him up. Suddenly, he felt Jake's presence. "Hold on, Jake. I'm on my way." He hurried along out of the cave and propelled himself into the cove, launching himself over the rock border, causing an audible splash that immediately caught Jake's attention as he was sitting on the rock ledge. The bright sun high in the sky made it easy for the sailor to spot the distinct form of the siren making his way to him. Dirk's head burst out of the surface, while squirting Jake with a mouthful of water.   
"Hey, stop that!" Jake screeched while trying to shield himself with his hands. Dirk laughed trying to keep himself from sinking back into the water. Jake quickly pulled off his shirt and jumped right into the clear, aquamarine cove. He decided to keep the cupcakes hidden with his shirt. "I'll give one to him when we get back later." He let the siren scoop him up, their lips meeting almost immediately. Once they parted, Jake kept his eyes closed for a bit, taking it in.   
"You alright there?" Dirk asked jokingly, running his webbed fingers through the sailor's dark hair.   
"Mmm-hmm. Just have to get used to that, I suppose."   
"So then, what are we doing today?" the blonde asked while still holding Jake.   
"Well," Jake began nervously, "There's actually something rather serious I think we should discuss. Do you think we could find a small rock island or somewhere where we could talk?"   
"Oh yeah, there's a little hidden area by those trees over to the right," Dirk let Jake go and both swam over to the hidden shore. The siren laid himself down in the shallows while Jake sat on the sand, keeping his feet in the water.   
"So, what is it you want to talk about?" Dirk seemed tense.   
"Oh, don't worry! I'm not saying I can't see you anymore or anything like that. It's just about someone I met today and something that's been on my mind that I've been meaning to ask you," Jake reassured.   
Dirk seemed to relax a bit, though he still had a serious look on his face.   
"Alright, so let's start with the first thing, then. So, you met someone today?"   
"Oh, yes! He also works for Caliborn. His name is Dave Strider, and he told me that he's looking for his brother. They had gotten in a shipwreck due to sirens, and his brother was knocked overboard. I asked him to describe what his brother looks like and the description matched yours exactly, and he said his brother's name is Dirk Strider."   
Dirk furrowed his brow. "But, even if I was this Strider guy, I don't have any memories of being a human. I mean, this just has to be a strange coincidence. I..." the siren trailed off, lost in thought.   
"Are you remembering something? Don't you think it's rather suspicious that you're the only 'male' siren around here?"   
Dirk felt shadows beginning to swirl around in the recesses of the deepest parts of his mind. It was something he hadn't felt for a very long time. Something, a shadowy memory of sorts, that was just out of reach within the grey matter.   
Dirk shook his head, "It's no use. I feel something, but I just can't remember anything other than being a siren. Sorry."   
Jake smiled, "Hey, it's alright! At least we know that something is there. I'll have to have you and Dave meet. You never know, it may help you reach those hidden memories."   
"Thanks, Jake. You know, for trying to help me with my memories," Dirk took Jake's hand in his, running his fingers along the top of the sailor's hand. He moved next to the siren in the shallow water. "There was something else I wanted to ask you that's been bugging me."   
"Well, shoot, ask away," Dirk said as he glanced at the spectacled boy from the side. Jake took in a deep breath, "I was wondering why you saved me from the shipwreck. I thought sirens were supposed to devour sailors' souls, so why was I an exception?"   
The siren looked off into the distance, "True, that's probably what I should've done. I've been forced to do it so many times to all different kinds of sailors. When I swam up to you, I saw your face, and I don't know. When I looked at you, I just couldn't bring myself to kill you. So, I grabbed you and quickly got you to the shore before one of the others got to you. I resuscitated you and everything." An orange blush spread across the siren's face, and a red one across Jake's face. "So, yeah. The other sirens of the group basically hate me. They look at me as weak, and because I'm different, they've always alienated me. Even though I have killed and devoured souls because they made me do it, they never saw me as part of the group. The only one that'll talk to me is the one that brought me into the group. Her name is Roxy. She's the only reason I haven't been kicked out and probably the only reason I stay with the group. I'm trying to convince her to leave the group with me and just be our own duo, but that's still in the works."   
Jake gave Dirk's hand a squeeze. "Wow, well I'd love to meet this Roxy. Perhaps I can help you to convince her. And, well shucks,  
thanks for saving me and not devouring my soul. I think there's only one thing that explains why you chose to save me."   
"What's that?" Dirk asked, looking to Jake.   
The sailor grinned, "Why love of course! I mean it may be too early to call it that, but maybe just maybe, something in you told you to save me for, well you never know...we might be soul mates." Jake stuttered a bit, a heavy red blush on his face. He felt like his face was burning off.   
He felt Dirk's fingers weave through his hair, pulling his face toward the siren's. "Hard to say, but you may be on the right track, English," Dirk remarked, moving the green glasses to the top of the sailor's head, before pulling him into a deep kiss. The sailor laid on top of the siren in the cool, shallow water of the shaded hidden beach. He ran his fingers through the blonde's hair as their lips met again and again, intensifying as they made out. Jake opened his mouth a bit more, letting Dirk's tongue glide over his teeth. A moan escaped Jake's throat as one of the siren's hands glided down from his chest to his hips, his webbed fingers lightly tracing the sailor's defined hip bones. The other hand was kept at the side of Jake's face, the fingers interlaced in the dark hair and the thumb stroking his cheek lightly. Dirk parted his lips from Jake's, keeping their faces just inches apart before moving to the soft skin on the dark toned boy's neck. Jake nearly screamed as Dirk gently kissed his neck, slowly moving down to his collar bone. Jake could hear the gentle smack of the siren's lips as they parted and began on a new area. After a while, Dirk's lips moved back to Jake's. Their rhythm stayed nice and slow, their lips melding into each other, thirsting for more with neither wanting to stop, the siren loving the feel of the sailor's mouth and the rhythmic grinding of his hips against Dirk's tail. The sun shone bright and high in the sky as tones of alabaster and hazelnut mixed until its setting.


	5. The Abyss Stares Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I think word count wise this is my longest chapter yet! Hope you guys enjoy it!

Jake lay nestled up in Dirk's arms as the siren carried him back to the craggy ledge, his head resting in the crook of the siren's neck. The sailor opened one eye, peering at the sun now huge and low in the brilliant orange sky. The wispy clouds floating above it were lit up in shades of red and orange like they were ablaze.   
"Is it really this late already?" Jake asked, yawning. He felt like he couldn't feel his lips.   
"Yeah. I guess we really were making out for a while," Dirk chuckled.   
He managed to lift Jake up onto the ledge, kicking his tail around vigorously to keep himself up. With wobbly legs, Jake slowly walked over to where his t-shirt was hidden, revealing the cupcakes. "Blimey, I almost forgot about these," he thought as he brought one over to the siren.   
"I nearly forgot, but I purchased this cupcake for you. I wasn't quite sure if sirens like these sort of things, but well, here you go," the sailor stammered, lowering the frosted sweet to Dirk.   
The siren took it, smiling and studying it curiously.   
"Thanks, Jake! You're the first human to give me a gift, so I'll make sure I enjoy it to the fullest." He held the cupcake cautiously.   
Jake tried to avoid staring as Dirk gingerly licked some of the frosting off before moving onto the cake part. The dark haired boy distracted himself by devouring his own cupcake. The siren was just finishing his when he looked over at Jake and stifled a laugh.   
"What??" the sailor shrieked, furrowing his brows at the siren as he sat on the rock ledge.   
Dirk couldn't stop laughing as he propped himself on the ledge by Jake.   
"Come here," he said, gesturing with his finger.   
"Bloody hell. What are you up to?" Jake grumbled, lowering his face to Dirk's level. Without warning, the blonde licked a bit of frosting that was on the tip of Jake's nose.   
"Couldn't have you just waltzing into town with that frosting on your nose," Dirk winked at him.   
"Uh heh, well, um thank you. I suppose I would've looked rather comical, heh," Jake nervously stuttered, scratching the back of his head repeatedly.   
"Heh," the siren quietly laughed, taking Jake's hand from the back of his head into his webbed hand. His other hand he cupped the sailor's cheek with, pulling Jake's face toward his.   
"And now..." he said before their lips met tenderly, becoming a bit deeper each time they came together. They kissed deeply a few more times before separating. Jake giggled a bit, giving Dirk a tender kiss on his forehead before getting back up on his feet. He slipped on his t-shirt and boots seeing how dark it had become already. He waved at the siren. "See you soon, Dirk! I..." Jake gulped, forcing the words out. "Umm...I...love you and take care!" he awkwardly blurted out before dashing down the tunnel, his breath ragged.   
"Oh, love you too!" Dirk cupped his hands and shouted at Jake's retreating figure. The small figure quickly turned and waved before moving up the cliff.   
Dirk couldn't stop smiling as he lowered himself into the dark water, hurrying toward the siren cave before night set in. He noticed a few other sirens swimming by him. Trying to hide the orange blush on his face, he kept eye contact to a minimum. He quickly made his way to the cave, following the dim light emanating from it. His orange eyes immediately spotted the bright pink siren chatting with a few others. He haphazardly approached the group, keeping his eyes only on Roxy. The group fell silent as the orange siren arrived. The others whispered amongst each other as Roxy turned around a gave Dirk a huge hug.   
"Dirky! I'm glad you could make it! You know, I haven't seen you all day since you headed over toward that cove this afternoon. So, what cha been doing over there, hmm?" she put an arm around him, glancing at him with a sly grin. The orange siren wasn't sure what to say. It was almost as if he could feel her glancing eyes on him. He knew there wasn't much he could hide from her.   
"Well, you're probably gonna get it out of me somehow, so I'll just tell you. I've been going to that cove to visit that sailor whom I rescued from the recent ship the group raided. I have a pretty big crush on him, and he..." Dirk didn't have a chance to finish it before Roxy cut in.   
"Oh, he likes you back, doesn't he?! Ooooh my gosh! Holy shit! This is huuuge, Dirky! Ah, I'm so happy for you," she shouted while tugging Dirk into a tight hug, nearly choking him by blocking his gills.   
"Heh, heh...alright, please let go of me!" he managed to slip out of the pink siren's arms.   
Roxy giggled as he composed himself. He spotted most of the other sirens heading out of the eerily lit cave in their little cliques as usual. The pink siren grabbed his wrist, pulling him in the direction everyone else was going. "Come on! We don't wanna miss this!"   
"Oh....alright," Dirk grumbled, keeping up with Roxy's pace.   
They kept close to the surface, the full moon lighting the way for them. Dirk glanced down at the deep void that seemed to go on forever. He tried to keep his mind from thinking about what lurked beneath the veil of darkness. Something about the deep made him uneasy. Focusing his eyes forward, he watched the small waves loll across lazily. After a bit more swimming, dark shapes could be seen in the distance. A few groups of sirens picked different ones. Mountains of rock rose out of the depths, creating small islands on the surface.   
"Follow me. I'll make sure we have our own island."   
Roxy veered sharply to the right. Dirk had to thrash his tail hard to keep from smacking into her. He followed her to a decently sized slab for two sirens. They pulled themselves up out of the water, resting their tails on the island. Both were breathing hard from the long, fast paced swim. Once he caught his breath, Dirk's eyes were immediately drawn to the full moon looming high in the sky. Hues of purple still speckled the sky with a few fading rays from the distant sun already gone from the horizon. An infinite number of stars dotted the sky, twinkling with their brilliant light.   
"Wow, this really is amazing. I have no words," Dirk said, still gazing upwards.   
"Mmmhmm! Told ya you'd like it. And guess what I brought!" Roxy sang the last sentence, shaking a bottle in her hand.   
Dirk raised his eyebrows, laughing, "Oh, I knew you'd never forget the alcohol."   
He watched her take a few swigs before conversing, "Hey, Rox. Being out here looking at the depths of the sea and the night sky reminded me of something I wanted to ask you. It's something Jake, you know the sailor, told me about today."   
"Oh, Dirky..ya know you can ask me annethang," she was already beginning to slur a few words.   
He took a deep breath before continuing, "He told me that a guy who works with him, Dave Strider, was looking for his brother who is missing, and the weird part is that this brother's description matches mine, along with the same first name: Dirk Strider. I was wondering if you could tell me why that is. I know you were the one that found me and brought me in, but it's been weird lately. Ever since Jake brought that up, I'm feeling hidden memories beginning to surface like mysterious creatures of the deep lurking in my mind. It feels as if something's blocking me from these memories, and, well, I don't know. I'm just so confused," Dirk ran his fingers through his hair, gazing off at the horizon. The other siren scooted closer to him.   
"Aw, Dirky. This is really bothering you, isn't it? You know, you may try to hide it, but somehow I can always tell when something serious is on your mind. And I'll never forget the day I found you. It brought so much light into my dreary world. So...I'll tell you what happened." Roxy placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. Dirk turned his face toward her with a serious look on his face.   
She exhaled before beginning, "It was a windy, stormy day. The sea that day was super choppy with huge waves. The others spotted a ship in the distance rolling along the waves. I decided not to go with them. I had been going through a rough time. My....daughter. I had lost her to some harpooners not long ago following that day. Anyway, I watched them from a distance. I recall seeing two humans on that ship, and I believe both of them had light blonde hair, though I was too far away to make out any other details. It didn't take them long to sink that ship, and one of the humans disappeared under the water. The other managed to escape by hanging onto a piece of the ship. I'm not sure why none of them went after that human. They were preoccupied with the other one that went under for some reason. After that, the storm and sea began to calm down. I decided to do some exploring by the shore, and that's when I found you floating in the water as a siren. That's all I know of what happened. If you wanna know more, you'll have to ask one of the others. I mean, it is a strong possibility you may be that Dirk Strider, but I can't say for sure. Sorry I can't be of more help." Roxy finished, glancing at Dirk.   
He smiled at her, sliding an arm around her shoulders. "Geez, I'm really sorry about your daughter, Roxy. I didn't know you had one." Dirk tried his best to console her.   
"Oh, I didn't wanna bring you down with my sorrows, Dirky," she sniffled a bit, wiping away a few tears. "If you want ot know more, I'd go to the Alpha of the group. And look, I know you don't like talking to her because of how condescending and bitchy she is toward you, but if any siren would know about a human possibly turning into a siren, she would."   
"Would you at least come with me when I do? I just...I can't talk to her alone. I need you as a sort of moral support," Dirk moved his arm from the pink siren's shoulders back to his side.   
"Why, of course! Sirens gotta stick together!" Roxy embraced Dirk in another hug that nearly knocked all the breath out of him. They both noticed that most of the other sirens had already left.   
"Thanks, Rox. And can we not go just yet? I just want to appreciate the night sky for a bit longer." Dirk said, his eyes fixated at the bright moon.   
Roxy only nodded, grinning and taking a few more swigs as they both gazed up at the sky above them.   
"I apologize. I didn't want to bring it up again, but I was curious. What was your daughter's name?" the orange siren asked, keeping his eyes toward the sky.   
"Rose. That was her name." 

A week went by like usual for Jake. Each morning he would meet Dave at the JuJu, they would load it up with fish, and take the fish to market, though he found it strange that Caliborn had still not returned. He met up with Dirk at the cove, through their meetings were short. For the past few days, DIrk had to leave early. He was beginning to worry about the siren. Yesterday, he had a horrible black eye, but reassured Jake it had only been an accident. The sailor tried his best not to worry and trust Dirk.   
Jake was sitting in a small square with Dave, relaxing after the job at the end of the week. "Pardon me, but perchance did Caliborn ever say when he was returning?" Jake inquired.   
"I think he said it was going to be about a week or so but who knows with that guy. He's so unpredictable," Dave answered.   
"Oh, I see," Jake remarked.   
Both sat in silence for a bit. Jake observed the unique architecture around them: the walls made out of crushed up coral, the light pastel colors of the sidewalks and paths, even the people dressed in light colors and seemed so happy. Jake couldn't help but smile. Suddenly, his eyes caught what looked to be a young girl. She wore a light yellow robe and had a hood covering the upper half of her face. Beneath the hood, he saw a sly smile of black lipstick. Lifting her head a bit, the sailor spotted purple hued eyes staring back into his emerald ones.   
"Gadzooks, she caught me staring!" Jake screamed in his head.   
He tore his gaze away to a wall in a panic. The hooded girl laughed softly like a tiny ting of a wind chime. She approached Dave and Jake with graceful steps. They both looked at each other in a panic before acknowledging the girl in front of them.   
Before she could say anything, Jake blurted out, "Oh, I'm terribly sorry for staring at you, miss! I truly didn't mean to. It's just I'm a foreigner here, and I'm not used to seeing people who wear hoods like that in the middle of the day. Again, my apologies!"   
"Dude..." Dave muttered, pulling Jake back onto the bench.   
The hooded girl approached them, giggling whimsically. "Don't worry. It wasn't your stare that caught my eye. I sensed something. One of you is searching for someone precious to them that is currently missing, aren't you?" she peered at Dave from her hood, her purple eyes glinting.   
Dave's red eyes widened. "H-how did you know that?" He stood up suddenly, walking closer to the girl.   
She grinned, removing her hood, revealing short, light blonde hair. "Why of course I know. I am a seer after all. Oh, pardon my rudeness, my name is Rose," she bowed her head.   
"Oh, I'm Dave, and that's Jake. Nice to meet you. I didn't know there was a seer in this town."   
"I've only been here a short while. So, why don't the two of you come into my shop? I may be able to aid you in your search for your brother," she then pulled her hood back on and silently began to walk towards the left side of the town. Dave immediately followed her without saying a word. Jake shrugged, not knowing what else to do but follow them. They went past the market and a few shops before Rose entered a small shop by going through dark curtains. The inside was completely dark except for a small table lined with candles of different colored flames. A few bio luminescent aquatic plants lay in jars suspended from the ceiling, making them appear as floating ghostly lanterns.   
"Welcome, Dave Strider and Jake English. There are urgent matters to discuss, so please, take a seat." She removed her hood, sitting with a glowing glass orb in front of her, emitting an eerie purple light from an unknown source. Dave and Jake took the two empty seats facing her from the opposite side of the table.   
"I know you're a seer and all, but how do you know our full names?" Dave immediately interrogated.   
Rose kept her placid expression, her voice never wavering. "It was foretold that I would meet the two of you on this day. My source for this information is the voices of the void which I can communicate with using this glass orb. I'm afraid that is all I can say. But I have more important information to relay to you, Dave. There is no time to go over how I know these things."   
Dave furrowed his brow. "Alright, fine. So, what is this important information?"   
"It has to do with the person you've been searching for," Rose's eyes were now focused on the purple orb. It was like she was in some sort of trance.   
"Are you talking about my brother?!" Jake had to hold Dave down to keep him from springing out of his chair.   
"Yes," Rose answered.   
"Well, please tell me already! Is he dead or alive?" Dave shouted, fighting the tears.   
Jake was afraid of how Dave was going to react. If she was the real deal, then he already knew what she was going to say.   
"Your brother, Dirk....is alive."   
"I knew it," Dave whispered, settling down a bit.   
"However," Rose continued, "He is not as he was when you knew him. He is different now, a transformation of sorts. He is in this area. You can find him...in the cove by the rock tunnel. He goes there rather often. You might find him there today even." Rose finished the prediction.   
"You said the cove, right? Jake, I'm heading over there. Follow me if you want, but I'm going over there right now!" Then Dave was outside in a flash, sprinting toward the cove.   
"Jake," the seer was now peering at him. "I'm not sure if he is truly ready to meet his brother in his 'new form.' But they were bound to meet eventually. It would be best if you are there with him. After all, you're in love with the siren, aren't you?" she winked at him.   
"Well, yes I suppose I am. So, I'd better run after him. But I promise I'll be back later. You seem like an interesting girl, and there's something I need to inquire you about but that can wait. So, right, bye!" Jake exclaimed before pursuing Dave down to the cove. 

"Dave!" Jake shouted relieved to see that Dirk hadn't showed up yet.   
"You heard her, Jake! Dirk's alive, and I'm going to ensure that I find him. After all these years...I'll finally be able to see him again." Dave tore his eyes away from Jake's, trying to hide the streaming tears.   
"Dave, I understand. You'll finally be able to see your brother. I just want to be sure that you're ready to see him as he is now."   
Dave turned to the dark skinned sailor. "You know something, don't you? Please, Jake just tell me." His eyes were already rimmed red.   
"It's alright, mate. Honestly, I've known he's your brother only recently. He's the one I've been spending time with after the fishing outtings. I had no idea he was your brother until you told me about your ordeal. However, he doesn't have any memories of you, or at least ones his conscious mind can reach. I asked him about you and the shipwreck, but he can't recall any of that. So, when he does show up, please understand that he probably won't recognize you as his brother. I believe we may need someone like Rose to help us with that." Jake gave Dave a reassuring squeeze on his right shoulder. He was silent for a bit, taking in all that Jake had said.   
"I at least want to see him for now. I'll try not to ask him questions that'll only confuse him. I just...need to see his face. That's all I need right now," he said, sniffling and wiping his eyes.   
Jake gave him a smile. He sat down by the aquamarine water, dipping his hand in. "Now he'll know I'm here." The red eyed boy quietly sat next to Jake, watching the water intently. Within only a few minutes, the siren's familiar form could be seen moving swiftly through the water toward the rock ledge. Dirk's head popped up suddenly, orange eyes staring at the two boys. He gave a warm smile to Jake but looked a bit surprised to see Dave there.   
"Oh, Dirk! This is Dave Strider. He works with me on the fishing boat. Don't fret, he's a trusted friend," Jake assured.   
Dave nearly broke down at seeing his brother's face at last.   
"Ah, nice to meet you, Dave. I'm Dirk!" the siren grinned at the bewildered blonde.


	6. Premonitions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter 6! Finally got it done. And again, there's a dream sequence in this one, so the dream is always in first person. Just so it's not confusing when one part switches from 3rd person to 1st person. Enjoy! ^^

Piercing red eyes stared the siren down. Dirk nervously shifted his gaze over to Jake.   
"Umm, is he okay?" he asked, a bit worried.   
"Oh, yes! I'm sure he's just shocked to see a siren for the first time...right?" Jake directed the last part over to Dave.   
It took him a few seconds to catch on. He cleared his throat, "It's, um, nice to meet you as well, Dirk. I'm Dave," managing to keep his emotions under control.   
Dirk cocked his head with a serious look on his face.   
"What is it?" Dave asked suddenly.   
"Oh, your name just seems kind of familiar...like it's in a memory I can't reach so to speak," he answered.   
"So, anyway, Dave, Jake tells me you work with him on a fishing boat," Dirk suddenly changed the subject, sensing a tense mood.   
"Eh, yes. It's hard work, but the pay is rather decent, and we only work during the morning," Dave blinked a few times before answering.   
The three of them conversed for a bit before Dave began reaching his limit.   
"Again, it was nice meeting you, Dirk. I'm afraid I have to get going. Hope we can meet again soon," Dave said before making his way back to town.   
"Ah, goodbye!" Dirk shouted at Dave's retreating figure.   
"Gee, he was pretty quick to leave, huh?" the siren now turned to Jake.   
"Yes, well he is rather busy today, I'm afraid. But I have nothing else to do, so do you want to do something? You know, you still haven't introduced me to Roxy yet," Jake smirked, looking down at Dirk.   
Dirk rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Yeah, of course! And sorry we haven't been able to hang around long lately. The truth is, I'm being forced to go on hunts with the other sirens. The Alpha Siren especially has been pretty hard on me. But anyway, I can call Roxy over here."   
"Wait, is the Alpha the one that gave you that horrible black eye?" Jake asked, concerned.   
Dirk looked away from the sailor, casting his gaze down at the water. "Yeah. Sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I didn't want to worry you. But my deal with her is hopefully almost done. So, that's good at least."   
Jake sighed, cupping Dirk's cheek with one hand and pulling the siren's face toward his. "It worries me way more when you don't tell me what's going on, you imbecile." A few tears hung in his eyes.   
"You're too good to me, English," Dirk chuckled, gently rubbing Jake's hand on his face.   
He raised himself a bit out of the water to give Jake a long, loving kiss with their lips parting ever so slowly.   
"Oh! I nearly forgot that you wanted to meet Roxy. Hold on just a minute," Dirk suddenly pulled away and plunged into the water, leaving Jake heavily blushing on the rocks. A few bubbles floated up to the surface as Dirk called for Roxy with a Siren's Cry. She called back to the orange siren. After a few minutes, Dirk spotted the familiar flash of pink as Roxy approached him. She gasped as she spotted a human on the rocks above the surface.   
"Is this the human you've been telling me about?" she whispered while pointing towards the surface.   
"Yeah! Come on, he wants to meet you," Dirk whispered back, laughing.   
She followed him as they popped up, breaking the surface. Jake shrieked as he saw the female siren completely bare on top.   
"Woah, what's wrong?" Roxy asked, a bit taken aback.   
"Oh, no, you just gave me a fright. I'm just not used to seeing women with nothing on on top. Most don't do that where I'm from, but seriously, don't worry about it! I'll get used to it," Jake managed to say with a heavy blush still on his face.   
"And this mess right here is Jake English," Dirk began introductions, trying not to crack up.   
"Ah, well, I'm Roxy! Nice to meet cha, Jakey!" she shook Jake's hand enthusiastically.   
Jake managed to compose himself with a few breaths in and out.   
"And it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Roxy. I'm so glad to finally meet you. I've heard much about you from Dirk," he smiled sweetly at the pink siren.   
Roxy beamed back at him. "Ah, Dirk, I like this one. Hey! I know! Let's all three of us go for a swim. Come on, it'll be fun!"   
She was practically dragging Dirk under by hanging onto him.   
"Alright, alright! That okay with you, Jake?"   
Jake spotted the serious glare in Roxy's eyes. "Well, you're lucky I still have my swimming shorts on from fishing this morning," he said while stripping himself of his shirt.   
"Yayyy! This is gonna be so fun!" Roxy shouted with delight while splashing her vibrant, pink tail around.   
Dirk had to shield himself from the ocean spray she created. Jake hid his shirt in the usual spot in the rock tunnel before jumping into the cove with the two sirens. Dirk performed the usual spell on Jake's throat so he could temporarily breath underwater, but this time, he tenderly kissed Jake as he lightly ran his fingertips over the sailor's throat. Once the spell was complete, they all dove underwater and let Roxy lead the way. She was more than happy to lead, swimming at speeds that sent them streaming through the cove. Jake had to hold onto Dirk's arm just to keep up.   
"Hey, Rox! Where are we going?" Dirk shot his voice ahead to Roxy with a bubble stream.   
"The Wrecks! I'm sure you haven't brought Jakey there yet!"   
Jake turned his head towards Dirk, not understanding the new underwater speak. Dirk grinned at him, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. The sailor took that as a sign to not worry. He moved his eyes forward again, feeling the water move past his face and the shimmering scales on the two sirens that glimmered with every stroke. The sun shone high in the sky above them, casting calming rays down into the crystal clear water. They now headed out of the cove, gliding over the coral wall down into deeper waters. Jake spotted a trench off in the distance. The surrounding colors transitioned from light blues to darker and even deeper blues. The atmosphere seemed to change, though Jake couldn't quite explain it. Roxy slowed the pace as they began to centure into the area they called "the wrecks." Huge masts rose from the bottom. Torn sails and flags on a few of the ships still swayed with the gentle currents. They lay in heaps, creating an eerie ship graveyard. The three of them stopped b the wreck of a huge galleon. Colors from a country Jake didn't' recognize hung suspended in the water.   
"Sorry, Roxy and I were using bubble speak. It's how we communicate while we're swimming at fast speeds. The spell I put on you doesn't cover that," Dirk said.   
"Oh, no worries! Anyway, where exactly are we? This place is rather spooky and has an odd vibe to it," Jake asked, gazing around at the many shipwrecks.   
"This, Jakey, is what the sirens of this region call the Wrecks. These are ships that have been brought down by sirens here," she informed while spinning around Jake.   
"Golly! There sure are a lot of them!" Jake exclaimed.   
"This is the product of many years of siren activity here, so don't worry, it's not like it can build up like this easily," Dirk assured.   
"Enough dawdling, you two! Come on, let's do some exploring!" Roxy hastily grabbed Dirk and Jake's wrists, pulling them along.   
They swam along, exploring the creepy shipwrecks. After hours, the sun was low in the horizon, and they began to make their way back. As they swam, Jake spotted a shipwreck on his right, which oddly reminded him of the ship he was on before the sirens attacked. However, Roxy and Dirk were beginning to pick up the pace. He gazed at the ship for a while before looking forward, letting the thought fade away.   
With night settling in, Jake gave Dirk a quick kiss and waved to Roxy before running off to get his shirt in the rock tunnel. Luckily, a full moon was there to guide him as he made his way up the cliff and back to the inn. The street lamps illuminated the coral lined paths as he briskly walked over to the inn. Once it was in sight, he spotted Rose's cloaked figure waving at him.   
"Oh, good evening, Rose!" Jake shouted as he ran over to her. "So, did you need me for something, perchance?"   
"Just a warning. Be careful tomorrow, Jake. Keep your wits about you," Rose gave her foreboding fortune.   
Jake wasn't sure what to say.   
"Well, I don't mean to keep you from your slumber. Good night, Jake English," with that, she walked off, turning the corner and quickly disappearing.   
"Oh! Good night!" Jake finally snapped out of the shock.   
"Welcome back, Jake! Back a bit late tonight, hmm?" Calliope winked at him.   
"Hello, Miss Calliope! Yes, I was just taking in the sights today. Well, I do have to work tomorrow, so good night!"   
"Good night! Sweet dreams!" Calliope said sweetly.   
Jake sprinted up the stairs to his room, and immediately plopped onto his bed, falling into a deep sleep. He remembered the softness of the sheets before drifting away. 

I found myself underwater. By the appearance of the features, I seemed to be somewhere by the cove. However, when I attempted to swim to the surface, I felt something around my wrists holding me down. Peering down, I saw metallic chains attached to shackles around my wrists. It didn't matter how hard I tugged. The chains kept me in place. Soon after, I began hearing a sort of muffled scream above me. Moving my head to the source of the odd sound, my heart nearly ceased movement as I saw Dirk desperately trying to reach for me far up by the surface. He was ensnared in a fishing net being gradually pulled up to the surface. It was rather dark, probably around dusk with the sun's dying rays dully illuminating the underwater world. I tried teaching and swimming up to Dirk, but it was no use with the chains holding me in place. Then, the scene of Dirk and the ocean disappeared and were replaced by darkness. I heard a strange voice that seemed to be coming from every direction gradually growing louder and louder, until I thought my ears would burst. Then, it quieted to a whisper in my ears. "Humans and sirens are enemies, boy. Who the fuck do you think you are going and falling in love with one?"   
"What do you know about Dirk and I..um whoever you are?" I shouted at the disembodied voice.   
It laughed mockingly, "Well, I am the Alpha after all. You're a rather sassy one, aren't you? Hehehehe..I look forward to meeting you."   
At that, a huge shape appeared in front of me in the darkness. It was the shape of a siren but way bigger than the others. Long, wavy dark hair ebbed and flowed with an unknown current. Piercing fuchsia eyes stared into my green ones as if she was gazing into my very soul. Black and pink bands decorated the scales of her tail and her skin on her upper half. She smiled at me with sparkling sharp white teeth. I wanted so desperately to get away. There was something strangely unsettling about her. I began to thrash against the chains. I could hear her giggling, swimming through the darkness around me. While I desperately tried to scream or emit some kind of sound, her enormous clawed hands clasped around me.... 

 

Jake woke up in a panic, sweat beading up at his temples and behind his neck. He clutched at his t-shirt, trying to calm his breathing.   
"You're okay. You're okay. It was just a dream," he tried to reassure himself.   
Then, he thought back to Rose's warning last night to be careful today and thought that maybe that's what his dream was trying to tell him as well. With his hands still shaking, he put his glasses on and put on a fresh shirt. Thoughts of the vivid dream began to fade as he ate breakfast downstairs with Dave and Calliope.   
"You two better get going! Caliborn is back, and he went down to the boat early," she warned them.   
"Oh, thanks, Miss Calliope! Come on, tallyho, Dave!" Jake found some new energy with some food in his stomach.   
"Alright, alright," Dave managed to get a few more bites before Jake dragged him out of the inn. The sun was just peeking out, splaying out its brilliant rays into the morning sky in shades of red. Jake knew a red sky in the morning meant hazardous weather on the way, as the saying goes: "Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning." However, he shrugged it off as him and Dave approached the harbor.   
"So, how have you been since meeting Dirk? You seemed rather distraught," Jake asked tentatively, feeling the sinking feeling of sand underneath his boots.   
"I'm doing better now. I was pretty torn up about it at first. I mean, that's my brother as a siren, and he doesn't even remember me. Now, I've sort of come to terms with it, and you know, we'll just have to help him remember. I'm not gonna give up on him just because his soul is in a new body, and the memories from his life as a human are hidden. He's my brother all the same, for sure," Dave replied, the growing sunlight reflecting off of his light blonde hair.   
Jake slung an arm around Dave. "I'm so happy to hear that, chum! I'm relieved to know you're doing better."   
The two walked on in silence for a while, both with smiles on their faces. However, soon they were both frowning at the sight of Caliborn waiting for them with someone they had never seen before.   
"About time you got here, losers. Got a new worker and some fun new tools to aid us in the hunt," Caliborn gave the usual creepy smile.   
Jake looked over at a young boy who seemed to be around Dave's age. He had dark brown hair swept to the side with black square framed glasses. He wore a blue hooded shirt. He waved at Jake and Dave enthusiastically.   
"Hello! My name's John Egbert, and I'll be working with you guys on this boat," he said in a whimsical voice.   
"Jake English. Pleasure to meet you!" Jake gave a slight bow.   
"The name's Dave Strider. Nice to meet cha," Dave nodded at John.   
"Well, now that petty introductions are out of the way, we can get down to business. John here brought some equipment specifically used for hunting and capturing sirens and mermaids. I'm sure all of you are aware of the siren problem here, and we're gonna catch one and make some money," Caliborn stated proudly.   
"John brought the equipment?" Dave asked, eyeing the shorter kid.   
"Oh, yeah! My dad was a monster hunter, and he taught me all he knew about the trade. I even have his own personal book that documents all of the beasts he's encountered," John said excitededly.   
"And why do you say 'was' when yout alk about your father? Is he still, you know, here?" Jake asked.   
"Oh, yes, he's still alive! I say was because he was forced to retire as a monster hunter. Something big bit one of his legs and arms clean off!"   
Jake and Dave stared at him with bewildered looks on their faces.   
"Enough chit-chat! I'm going to go over the equipment."   
The three of them followed Caliborn onto the JuJu. "We have some steel lined nets, a few harpoons, and the most important one: a siren signal." Caliborn proudly held what looked to be a deep blue orb.   
"What makes that thing the most important?" Jake stared at the orb curiously.   
"That's what's going to draw sirens to us. Think of it like the bait you need to catch a fish. It emits the same sound a siren in distress makes," John explained.   
"Alright, you wusses. Let's get the boat to open ocean already."   
Caliborn secured the equipment as Dave maneuvered the JuJu out of the harbor into the deeper water. Jake looked on ahead from the bow. "Dirk, whatever you do, stay away from this boat." He thought as the ocean wind whisked through his spiked up bangs. He couldn't shake the sense of danger ahead. He was worried about what happened in his dream.   
Once the shoreline was almost out of sight, Caliborn had Dave stop the boat. The anchor was thrown into the blue depths with a splash breaking the silence.   
"I'll have you take over from here, John. Don't fuck it up," Caliborn bluntly said and took the seat by the ship's wheel.   
John brought the orb over to the side of the ship, attaching a rope to it.   
"So, I'll just press a button on the bottom, and...there it's on now."   
"Are you sure? I don't hear anything," Dave said, cupping his hands around his ears while he cast the regular nets out for fishing. He moved to the other side and prepared the steel lined nets.   
"This is at a higher frequency than what we humans can hear, plus it can be heard by them better underwater."   
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's drop it in," Dave encouraged, though he cast a concerned look at Jake.   
"Okay, here goes!" John slowly lowered it into the water, tying the rope securely onto a hook.   
"And now, we wait. I kept it pretty close to the surface so we should spot any sirens that show up right away," John informed.   
The three of them spent the next hour staring at the area by the orb.   
"I don't know, man. I don't think anything's com-" Dave was suddenly cut off as something big hit the side of the ship, causing it to tilt and rock.   
"What in the bloody hell was that?!" Jake asked, clutching at the railing. He looked to Caliborn and saw that he had fallen fast asleep. The hit hadn't even fazed him. "Figures," the sailor scoffed.   
John quickly got the signal out of the water and turned off. The three of them stuck close, looking around in all directions. Jake spotted big ripples from the bow.   
"It's near the bow!" Jake warned them, pointing in said direction.   
Then, a low piercing voice resonated from out of the ocean as if Jake could hear it in his own mind.   
"We finally meet, Jake."   
Before he could react, a huge black colored webbed hand darted out of the water and grabbed him, squeezing the breath out of his lungs and lifting him up. His green eyes met a huge pair of fuchsia ones. The gigantic siren from his dreams was now in front of him with a murderous grin on her face.


	7. Ties That Bind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, I finally have chapter 7 done! ^^ Just an FYI, I'm going to be changing the rating to M because of later scenes coming and the bit of gore in this chapter, so bit of a warning on that! Other than that, enjoy! Hope I don't make you guys suffer too much with this chapter x)

Jake's body was completely frozen. He could do nothing but feel the Alpha squeezing him in her grasp. She started laughing maniacally as he wheezed and gasped for air. After a few minutes of struggle, a voice cut through the air.   
"Let him go you piece of shit siren!" Dave held a harpoon gun aimed directly at the siren.   
"Dave, are you sure you know how to use that?" John quickly asked, shaking at the sight of the giant siren.   
"Get wrecked!" he yelled before firing the harpoon, ignoring John.   
The recoil sent him falling on his butt. However, the harpoon still hit its mark, embedding itself in the Alpha's left hand. The point sunk straight through it, puncturing Jake's side as well. Both of them shrieked in pain. As Jake began to fall back towards the ship, time seemed to slow down. The sky was dark now, the once blue sky was now covered by thunderheads, as it began to rain. He felt each drop hit his skin. His glasses began to bead up as it started to pour. He gazed up at the Alpha, her gigantic form being defined by subtle lightning strikes. Jake could barely hear the thunder that followed. It was as if he had cotton stuffed in his ears. The Alpha grasped her injured hand bleeding out fuchsia blood. Even her shrieks were muffled. However, the pulsating wound in his side abruptly snapped him back into real time. He flew into John's arms clumsily, still hitting he gash in his side tore a bit due to the impact of the landing, pouring out fresh, warm blood all over. Jake let out a groan through gritted teeth.   
"Hey, are you alright?" John asked, still holding Jake.   
"...not really," Jake managed to grunt out in between panicked breaths. Blood still oozed out in pulses through John's fingers as he desperately tried to put pressure on the wound.   
"D-Dave! What should I do?!" John ran over to Dave who was still recovering from the massive recoil of the harpoon gun.   
His red eyes moved to John still holding a bleeding Jake, panic in his eyes.   
"Caliborn!" Dave shouted hoarsely at the taller man who was still staring at the Alpha in awe. "Caliborn! I know you're a fucked up siren enthusiast, but we need to get out of here. Jake's injured and needs a doctor or some kind of medical attention right away."   
Dave was about to go up to him and give him a good slap when Caliborn suddenly turned towards him.   
"Oh, believe me, kid, we will get going but not yet. This is getting interesting."   
Caliborn flashed a creepy smile and pointed to a spot of the sea a little ways past the Alpha. Dave sprinted to the railing, squinting his eyes and trying to see through the rain. Through the squall, he saw a movement of orange scales jetting through the water towards the big siren. Dave's heart nearly skipped a beat as he recognized that glint.   
Dirk swam along swiftly in a zig zagging pattern while Roxy followed below him, hidden by the shadowy depths. With a forceful flip of his tail, Dirk broke the surface, flying towards the middle of the Alpha's back. He brandished a sleek sword. He gave a guttural yell before plunging the whole blade straight to the hilt into the black and fuchsia siren's back. The Alpha screamed as the blade just missed her spine and hit a lung. Fushcia blood erupted from her mouth, splattering onto the JuJu. Dave ran for cover behind a mast before the blood splatter hit. Roxy now followed by grabbing onto the Alpha's massive tail and dragging her underwater into the fishing net. Her screams were now muffled garbles. The net wrapped around her as she thrashed around desperately trying to free herself. Her blood began to cloud the area under the boat.   
"Take this, bitch!" Roxy screamed before her and Dirk let go of a heavy boulder they had fetched from the ocean bottom. It sank slowly in the salt water and sent the Alpha down with its weight as it caught her and the net in its descent. Both Roxy and Dirk breathed in the ocean water heavily, coming down from the adrenaline rush the attack had given them.   
"You know that's not going to do her in, right? She's going to heal eventually and then we're toast," Dirk said in between gasps.   
"Yeah, but at least your boyfriend and his human friends are safe. Plus, it'll take her a while to heal from that wound and get free. We've bought ourselves some time anyway," Roxy assured.   
"Speaking of which, we should check on them. I'm not sure if Jake's okay. I saw him fall onto the ship. Come on!" Dirk jetted over towards the ship.   
The storm was beginning to calm now. The rain was now a light drizzle. As soon as the sirens had disappeared underwater, Dave ran over to check on John and Jake. However, as Dave approached them, John looked up at Dave with worry in his eyes. He still carefully held Jake in his arms; however, Jake was even paler now. The blood stain on his side was still slowly growing, along with a small pool of crimson, and his breathing was short and shallow. Dave suddenly turned at the sound of splashing by the side of the ship. Dave had no time to stop Caliborn before he grabbed the steel net and cast it over the side at the source of the sound. He heard a high pitched yelp followed by Dirk's distinct voice yelling, "Roxy!"   
"Gotcha, sneaky little siren."   
Dave ran across the deck, fists up and ready to fight the taller man. "Let her go, you..."   
A sharp slap across his face cut him off and sent him falling to the floor. He could feel the warmth of fresh blood beginning to run down his nose. Dave helplessly watched as Caliborn hauled the ensnared pink siren onto the deck. She squirmed and struggled but stopped as she felt the steel cutting into her. Dave felt as if his limbs were numb. He could do nothing but sit there and stare at the desperate siren. Caliborn, with his frightening smile plastered on his face, looked to the injured Jake still in John's arms. He grabbed Roxy's right arm roughly with her still in the net and began dragging her towards Jake. He cackled as Dirk shouted from below, "Let her go, you creep! Take me if you want! Just let her go!"   
Once they were by John and Jake, he grabbed a fistful of Roxy's hair, forcefully holding her head by Jake's bleeding side.   
"You're already crying, so this should be easy. Heal him," Caliborn ordered coldly.   
Roxy sobbed at his harshness, the pain of the net, and his cruel grasp. She let her tears stream down her face and drop several times onto the stab wound. Within a few drops, the bleeding stopped and the wound slowly closed up.   
"Woah.." John whispered, watching the injury heal and the color return to Jake's skin.   
"Very good," Caliborn chuckled.   
He now dragged her by her hair over to a grey container filled with ocean water. It was just long enough for a siren to fit in. He rolled her out of the net right into the container and immediately shutting and locking the lid.   
"Finally, boys, we have our very own siren. Dave, get yer ass up and get this ship back to the harbor. We have a siren to show off."   
Begrudgingly following Caliborn's orders, Dave reluctantly took the helm, steering the JuJu toward the harbor. He glanced down at Dirk desperately circling the ship, trying to spot Roxy. Jake spotted the orange siren. "Dirk! Please don't follow us! Just go to the cove!" he shouted while clutching at his side. The wound was healed, but the ache of it still lingered.   
Dirk's expression was filled with nothing but terror. He nodded quickly before forcing himself to dive back underwater. Jake bit the inside of his cheek, trying desperately to keep himself together.   
"I need to worry about Roxy right now," he thought to himself over and over.   
Once docked, Dave, Jake, and John reluctantly helped Caliborn haul the container with Roxy in it up to the inn where a rather big glass tank on wheels waited. They stepped up on a nearby platform by the tank.   
"Alright, dump her in."   
The three of them tipped the container, sending the sparkling pink siren tumbling into the mobile tank. She was disoriented at first, floating down to the bottom and gazing around with a dazed look in her eyes. Then, within seconds, she reacted, tapping her hands violently against the glass. It looked as if she was trying to shout something, but no sound was being emitted.   
"Why can't we hear her?" Dave asked, looking to Jake.   
"I believe it's because she's speaking underwater. It's different, a sort of siren speak," he answered.   
Caliborn chuckled coldly. "John!" he suddenly snapped.   
"Y-yes, Mr. Caliborn?" John almost shrieked at the sudden bark of his name.   
"I need you to clean the ship. It got a shit ton of siren's blood on it, so hurry up already!" he pushed John over towards the harbor.   
"Yes, of course!" John said nervously, shifting his eyes over to Dave and Jake and mouthing the word "sorry" before running over to the JuJu.   
"And you two. I have some business with a collector to take care of. Hide the tank behind the inn and make sure you put a heavy cloth over it. Wouldn't want my sister finding out about this. And neither of you better fuck this up," Caliborn grinned menacingly and swiftly headed off.   
Jake made sure to wait until he was out of sight. "Dave, I need you to stay with Roxy. Dirk's most likely waiting for me at the cove. I'll be back in a bit! I'm counting on you!" he gave Dave no time to answer as he immediately sprinted towards the cove.   
"You got it, dude!" he shouted.   
He looked over to the panicked siren. She was still now but her eyes were still wide with fear. Dave walked up slowly, placing a hand on the glass. "Don't worry. For now, nothing bad is going to happen to you. Not as long as I'm here."   
"And I as well," Dave jumped and turned around with lightning speed at the sudden voice.   
The cloaked figure of Rose stood in front of him and Roxy. At the sight of her, Roxy's fearful expression changed to one of curiosity. She placed a hand on the glass and whispered some kind of incantation.   
"Hey now, what exactly are you up to" Dave asked suspiciously.   
"Fear not, Strider. We'll be able to hear her speak now. Hello, Roxy. I've been wanting to meet you for a while now," Rose smiled faintly from under her hood.   
"Well, thank you, but who are you exactly?" Roxy asked timidly.   
Rose chuckled and slowly removed the hood from her head, revealing light blonde hair the color of moonlight, the same as Roxy's. She looked to the siren with violet eyes which were all too familiar to the siren.   
Roxy gasped, running into the back wall of the small tank. Dave gave a confused look, shifting his eyes from Roxy to Rose.   
"Umm, what exactly is going on?"   
"Y-y-you're my Rose! I can't believe this, but you're..." Roxy stammered, excessively pointing at the young seer.   
"Human, yes. The voices of the void tell me it was a soul transfer of sorts. Even though I'm in a different body, I know everything that happened to me in that past life. But don't worry, mother, we're reunited once again." Rose spoke in a soft voice.   
She placed her hand on the glass again, and Roxy place her webbed hand in its outline. She smiled at Rose, emotion overtaking her face.   
"Rose, my Rose," was all she could muster to say.   
Dave was about to butt in, but decided to shut up for a bit, letting the two enjoy their moment. 

Jake wasted no time in getting to the cove as fast as possible.   
Jake!" the sailor heard the familiar voice and spotted Dirk by the beach waving at him. Jake kicked off his boots and ran right into the water clothes on and all. He jumped right onto the siren, hlding him in a tight embrace.   
"Dirk, please tell me you're okay. You're not hurt, right?" Jake buried his face in the crook of Dirk's shoulder.   
"A few scratches but nothing major," he assured, wrapping his arms around Jake.   
"Thank, skulls. I'm glad you're unscathed."   
"Jake, please tell me Roxy's okay," the siren's voice cracked a bit.   
"She's okay. Caliborn has her in a tank, but Dave's with her right now. Him and I are going to save her and return her to the ocean. Don't worry. We're going to see it done," Jake assured, stroking his fingers through Dirk's hair.   
"Thank you," Dirk whispered.   
He turned Jake's head so that they were face to face. He kissed Jake deeply, running a hand down his back to his hips.   
"My heart nearly broke when I saw that harpoon stab you. For a moment, as you dropped back onto the ship. I thought...I though you were gone," Dirk muttered, trying to hold back oncoming tears.   
Jake clutched onto him tighter. "We're going to figure this out, Dirk. You have my absolute promise."   
The human and the siren clung onto each other as the waves gently lapped at the shore, their whispers and tears only felt by themselves and the ocean.


	8. Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVE RETURNED  
> I'm so sorry for not updating this for so long. I figured since this one is almost done I should probably actually finish it, so think of this as the second to last chapter. And hopefully, I'll have the next one out soon!

Jake breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the tank with Roxy in it was still in the same spot with Dave, John, and Rose by it. Without another word, he took Dave by the shoulders and had him go around the corner of a shop with him.  
   “Listen, Dave. I need you to try to get John completely on our side. We’ll need his help if we’re going to get Roxy back to the ocean. Don’t worry about Caliborn. I think I’ve come up with a way to distract him while you guys deal with the collector. Once you get her down to the beach, Dirk will help you,” Jake said in a hushed voice.  
Dave looked rather unsure, red eyes glancing around everywhere but Jake’s face.  
 

    “Please, Dave..Roxy is incredibly important to Dirk and Dirk..well, he’s incredibly important to me, indubitably so. I promise I won’t ask anymore favors of you after this is all over.”

After a bit more fidgeting, Dave finally sighed and nodded.  
   

   “Alright, I’ll do it. As long as you keep Caliborn distracted and away from Roxy, I think I can do that.”  
Jake nodded with a “jolly good” and walked back over to the others with Dave. All of them wore looks of dread. Roxy herself had red, irritated eyes and was nursing her head where her hair had been pulled. Jake scanned the darkening horizon with a gulp. The ocean already seemed to be churned up with huge waves. He was thankful that Dirk was in the protection of the lagoon and not out in the open ocean. He could already see the storm rolling in. The clouds were like a huge rolling wall of flashing light and rumbling of thunder. Any ships hoping to set out today would certainly be forced to stay in the harbor.  
 

    “I leave guarding Miss Roxy to all of you. I’m going to go distract Caliborn.” He looked to Dave, giving him a slight bow.

He ran off in the direction of the harbor before any of them could object. His heart was rattling in his chest as a few drops of rain hit his face. He prayed that his legs could carry him fast enough before the storm got too bad.  
First, he stopped by the inn, and surprisingly, Calliope was waiting on the front steps for him.  
   

   “You’ll want this.” She gave him an odd little box that fit right in the palm of his hand. “If you show him you have that, he’ll definitely chase after you. I think you know what you have to do,” she said.  
Jake simply stared at her for a few seconds. She seemed almost like a seer, like she knew he’d be coming.  
 

    “Uh, th-thank you..Miss Calliope. I’ll be okay..I’ll come back. I promise,” he stammered quickly before continuing to run down in the direction of the harbor.

He shook off the strange feeling and looked over the harbor from the cliff. Sure enough, Caliborn was there by his boat. He seemed to be digging through the box on the dock, not really caring about the wind, rain, and waves knocking the boats around.

_Alright, Jake. No time for cowardice._

As quick as he could go, he slid down the steps in the side of the cliff and ran over to the dock, jumping onto Caliborn’s boat without hesitation. With trained hands, he slipped the ropes off that held the boat to the dock.  
 

    “What in the multiverse do you think you’re doing??” Caliborn snapped his head up when the boat started to drift from the dock, eyes seeming to glow red.

With a rather playful look, Jake rattled the little box Calliope had given him in a sort of taunt.

   “Oh, Caliborn~ Look what I got.” Even though he wasn’t even sure what he “got.” It seemed to gain the response he was hoping for.

Caliborn was practically seething as he suddenly jumped onto the boat in a sort of super human way.

   “How in the hell did you get your grubby little hands on that?” he roared, getting dangerously close to Jake.

Knowing what he was capable of, Jake instinctively stepped back. In a split decision, he jumped onto the mast of the ship and quickly unfurled the sails, causing the ship to lurch forward and started to head out to the open ocean ahead. The waves made a usually smooth journey treacherous as the ship went over the rolling waves, causing it to toss to and fro. At one rather large one, Caliborn nearly fell over the side but managed to hold onto the railing enough to keep himself from falling into the sea. Jake cursed under his breath. It was so close. He stayed clinging to the mast to keep himself from Caliborn and also getting tossed off the boat.

   “You little shit! Get down here and fight me like a man!” Caliborn shouted with a malicious smile as he stared up at Jake.

   “If you’re such a great man, why don’t you come up here and get me?” Jake taunted back, not planning on going down there anytime soon.

His goal was to distract Caliborn long enough for the others to get Roxy down to the beach. Now, the ship was nearing where the storm was at its worst. Lightning cracked through the dark gray sky, illuminating everything for a brief moment before another one followed. The waves were only getting worse, and the ship was getting tossed around more and more. Jake feared it wouldn’t be able to hold up and capsizing seemed iminate.  
Caliborn himself was starting to grow weary of the severity of the conditions, but the smirk didn’t leave his face.

   “Fine, if you won’t come down, then I’ll make you without even having to try.”

From a nearby barrel, he pulled out the all too familiar harpoon gun.

   “How about I skewer you. The siren can just heal you up again if you survive the journey back that is.”

His smile was absolutely twisted now, and Jake’s eyes grew wide. He hoped with all he had that somehow Caliborn would miss due to the rolling waves, but he knew the sociopath nearly never missed. Not knowing what else to do, Jake shut his eyes tight, clinging to the mast and hoping, hoping with all his might that there’d be some kind of miracle.  
When Jake was getting ready for the inevitable, he felt a tremor move through the mast and bright burst of light. Peeking his eyes open, he found Caliborn completely gone. All that was left where he had been standing was the harpoon gun that had been broken into pieces and a black mark on the deck.

_Lightning?_

It had to be. What else could do something like that? Besides the power of a god or..hope maybe? Jake didn’t have much time to celebrate as a shadow loomed over the whole ship, blotting out the bright flashes from the lightning. He only had a few seconds as he turned around and saw a monstrous wave towering over the entire ship. Before he could even cry out, it crashed over them, sending him and the ship underwater. Just from clinging onto the mast with such force, Jake found it hard with the harsh currents and waves to swim up to get air. He couldn’t even tell where he was. Everything around him was a deep blue, nearly black color. All he knew was that he was sinking down further and further. Eventually, he let his arms and legs hang slack, suspended in the cold, heavy water. As his eyes slowly closed, he could’ve sworn he heard Dirk’s voice calling through the water, but he sounded far away, and Jake was losing consciousness fast.

_I’m sorry._

After that, he felt as if his body melted into the numbing sensation of the water around him. It felt very similar to when he had gotten thrown off of the boat he used to work on, but Dirk had been there to save him. This time, he was all on his own.


	9. A Peaceful Shore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayy! I'm back and finally completing this fic. Hope y'all enjoyed it, and I really enjoyed writing it. Thanks for all the comments and kudos! All of you are awesome! ^^

As his eyes opened, Jake was still surrounded by darkness. As he felt around for something, anything familiar, his hands were met with soft sand that sifted through his fingers, dancing around them and disappearing into the dark. The first thing he noted was the pounding in his head. It was harsh at first, but as he came to, it gradually softened to a distant thrumming. He still felt numb but it seemed almost as if his body was gradually warming up some. His breathing was fine, but it oddly felt like he was breathing from somewhere other than his nose or mouth. In fact, it was coming in from somewhere on his neck. This instantly made him bolt upright, or attempt to do so. Sitting upright quickly is rather difficult to do underwater.

    _Wait! I’m still underwater!_

The thought made him panic at first until he realized that he wasn’t suffocating. As he glanced up, he noticed a faint light near the surface. As he got himself up and on his way towards that light, his eyes went wide when he realized there was a tail where his legs should be and how was he able to see so clearly without his glasses? Jake’s body went rigid, and he sunk down to the sandy bottom again. With shaky hands, he brought them up towards his face. There was a distinct greenish webbing between his fingers. With a deep breath in preparation, he finally glanced down to where his legs should be. Instead, he saw a tail that was like Dirk’s besides the shimmering green scales. His dark skin seemed to have a shimmer to it as well. The light from above was faint, meaning it had to be from the moon.

    _What has happened to me? Am I a…_

His thought was stopped short as he picked up on the sound of someone approaching him. Jake was much too shocked to even think about ducking for cover. Thankfully, he noticed the familiar shimmer of orange as Dirk quickly swam up to him, practically glowing in the faint moonlight.

   “Jake! Wh-??” He was cut short once he noticed the tail and gills.

Once he had gotten over the initial shock of seeing someone who was human just a few moments ago, he swam closer, gently taking Jake’s hands in his. He studied the other carefully, causing Jake to look elsewhere bashfully.

   “What’s happened to me, Dirk? It looks as though I’m a siren now…like you.”

   “I think it’s because you died..at least for a moment. It sometimes happens to people who drown in this part of the sea. The same happens to a siren. I think you drowned and came back as a siren.”

   “It’s true then..I really did die. Is this some kind of second chance?” Jake asked, tightening his grip on Dirk’s hands.

   “It must’ve been because you died while protecting another. I said in only happens sometimes. It must have to do with dying for a noble cause or something of the like. I can’t think of any other way to explain it. I’m in awe myself.”

The two hovered in that spot for a while, taking it all in. Time seemed to stand still around them. Suddenly, Dirk pulled Jake in for a hug, holding onto him tightly.

   “I was..so scared. I thought I lost you when I couldn’t sense your heart beat anymore.”

   “S-sorry,” Jake muttered. “I know I can be a real pain sometimes, huh?”

   “Yeah, you can,” Dirk chuckled and tenderly kissed his forehead. “But I don’t mind. I’m a pretty big pain myself.”

   “You guys!!” A voice close by called over.

As they looked over, they spotted Roxy swimming up to them at top speed. She basically ran right into them, pulling them both into a big hug.

   “Thank you, Jake! Thank you!” she sobbed.

Jake could feel her trembling and gave a small smile, giving her shoulder a squeeze. He had almost forgotten about freeing her right before he had gotten tossed in by that storm.

   “Roxy! Glad you’re alright, dear. I was afraid that storm had taken you too.”

   “Jake?? Since when are you a siren?” she gasped when she finally noticed the tail.

   “I..I don’t know. I can’t explain it for the life of me. Dirk said it’s something to do with being reborn from a heroic act or something. I know for certain I was an honest to god human, but now I’m not,” he said with a shrug. “Guess I’d rather be a siren than dead.”

   “Cheers to that.” Dirk nodded, smiling blissfully.

The three of them decided it was best to get some rest for tonight. There would be plenty of time to meet up with the humans and find out all that happened after the storm tomorrow. Jake was completely exhausted and needed Dirk to pull him along to an alcove to sleep in. The two of them stayed close. It was incredible how tired dying could make one feel. For now, all that mattered was that he was alive again though in a strange body now.

The next day, Dave and Rose met them on the beach and relayed what had happened after the storm. Caliborn was gone, most likely taken by the storm as well. None were sure what exactly happened to him or if he survived. Since the monster hunter was still coming, the sirens gave up a few of their scales to give to John so he at least had something to show his teacher.

   “He said he’s going to strive to be a good monster hunter and not capture creatures against their will. He even offered for me to come along on their adventures, which I accepted,” Dave said, placing the scales into a bag.

   “You’ll have to write to me. I want to know all about your strange adventures,” Rose said with her usual blissful smile. “Though I never would’ve imagined the sailor would end up a siren himself.”

   “Heh, me neither. Believe me, it’s as much a surprise to me,” Jake chuckled.

   “Well, as for me, I think I’ll be staying here. I feel a strange connection to Roxy that I can’t quite explain. I suppose it’s a feeling I need to figure out over time, and

I’d prefer that we figure it out together,” Rose said, looking to the pink siren.

   “I couldn’t agree more.”

Eventually, the humans had to leave as the sun was sitting low on the horizon. They waved to the sirens before making their way up the stone steps towards the little town above. Roxy hung out with them a bit into the night before ducking down into the water to rest. Soon, Dirk and Jake were left alone on a rock, gazing up at the night sky.

   “This is something I always enjoyed about lonely places like this. You can see almost everything in the night sky. It’s why I always was drawn to the sea. The night sky on open ocean is something so spectacular. I can’t even describe it. It’s lonely but..not at the same time. Does that sound weird? It’s..pretty weird,” Jake stammered, feeling a blush of embarrassment course over his cheeks.

   “Nah, I think it’s a pretty profound and rad statement. You could be a philosopher talking like that,” Dirk said, turning towards him with a soft smile.

   “Wowzers, the orange in your eyes is even more stunning at night, you know.”

Dirk merely chuckled to himself, saying a soft “thanks” and resting his head on Jake’s shoulder.

   “Of course, mate,” Jake said back and let the quiet peacefulness of the night say the rest.

If someone was looking out over the cliffs towards the sea at that moment, they’d see two sirens sitting on a rock as the wind whistled through the sand.


End file.
